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Thursday, 17 October 2013

French clubs could boycott Ligue 1 games over tax hike

French clubs could boycott Ligue 1 games over tax hike

By Shane Callaghan

The government's decision to raise the levies to 75 per cent next year could see many of the country's top teams refuse to play fixtures in protest

A number Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs are considering boycotting fixtures in the near future following the government's decision to raise tax on them to 75 per cent.

The
Union of Professional Football Clubs [UCPF] were reportedly unanimous
in deciding that they would oppose the pending increase on solidarity
tax - to be applied next year - which is only applicable to clubs whose
employees earn in excess of €1 million per annum.

Olympique
Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed that his club are
among those mulling over the option of striking, which the 64-year-old
believes is an "act of survival".

He told BUT: "I heard [Lille president] Michel Seydoux say he was prepared to file for bankruptcy if the tax were maintained.

"This
is not a game, it should be understood that this is an act of survival
in an environment where we had a lot of disappointment in the past.

"There
is talk of a tax kills tax. If employers can not pay this tax, there is
no alternative. I prefer to see it as an alarm rather than a threat."

Asked
when the boycott could take place, Aulas responded: "I am not qualified
to answer that, but very soon, perhaps the coming days."

Saint-Etienne
president Bernard Caiazzo, who is also the vice-president of the UCPF,
Bernard said that refusing to play fixtures is one of the options amid
discussions amongst clubs.

"Boycott? Anything is possible. The tensions are high," he told reporters.

Le
Havre president Jean-Pierre Louvel added that a decision is set to be
made before the end of the month about how to counter the government's
plans to bump levies on clubs.